“Kris Schaale showcases an extraordinary and deftly crafted
storytelling style that fully engages her readers from cover to cover.
Original, compelling, and with a skill that raises her novel to an
impressive level of literary excellence." MidWest Book Review
"Kris Schaale’s first novel, Summer of Meteors, offers a fast-paced
and exceptional narrative that beautifully intertwines history,
humanity, and suspense. Through the eyes of three very different,
but equally strong women, Schaale vividly explores the moral
complexities of slavery and human rights in pre-Civil War America.
Highly recommended for readers who enjoy immersive storytelling
and rich, character-driven historical fiction."
-Kathleen Grissom, NYT Best Selling author of The Kitchen
House, Glory Over Everything, and Crow Mary
"Kris Schaale has crafted a novel of page-turning suspense and
personal reckoning with conscience, justice, and risk. Three young
women: President Buchanan's niece, an enslaved nursemaid, and a
Quaker widow, meet at The Bedford Springs Hotel. All are
challenged and changed."
Ellen Prentiss Campbell, author of the prize-winning novel
The Bowl With Gold Seams

As the nation teeters on the edge of civil war, three women converge at the elegant Bedford Springs Hotel in Pennsylvania. Harriet Lane, strongminded and vivacious niece to President James Buchanan and the nation’s “Democratic Queen,” begins to question the cost of loyalty as her uncle’s stance on slavery casts a long shadow. Anne McCoy, a quiet Quaker widow, carries the scars of loss, and dangerous secrets. Juba, an enslaved nursemaid to a presidential guest, dreams of freedom and the family torn from her.
When a chance encounter with local agents of the Underground Railroad sparks a daring escape plan, loyalties are tested, and lives are forever changed. Meanwhile as scandal brews and radical abolitionist John Brown plots revolution nearby, these women must decide what they’re willing to risk for justice and each other.
Set against the backdrop of a divided America, Summer of Meteors is a powerful tale of courage, sacrifice, and the bonds forged in the fight for freedom. A forgotten summer where history burned across the sky and nothing, not even the stars, would ever look the same.

I love to hear from my readers!
Kris Schaale
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